Beach Hotel (Galveston)
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| The Beach Hotel | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of the The Beach Hotel area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Wood-frame hotel |
| Location | Galveston, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°17′20″N 94°47′19″W / 29.2889°N 94.7886°W |
| Completed | 1882 |
| Demolished | 1898 |
| Owner | William H. Sinclair |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4.5 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Nicholas J. Clayton |
The Beach Hotel was a seasonal resort in Galveston, Texas. Designed by architect Nicholas J. Clayton, it was built in 1882 at a price of US$260,000 (US$8.67 million in today's terms) to cater to vacationers. Owned by William H. Sinclair, the hotel opened on July 4, 1883, and was destroyed by a mysterious fire in 1898.[1][2][3]
The front lawn of the beach hotel "provided a site for summer entertainment-fireworks, high-wire walkers, and bands."[4]
Amenities
The following were some of the attributes of the hotel.[2]
- Dining room
- Gentlemen's parlor
- Reading room
- Saloon
- Grand staircase
- Electric and gas lighting
Sewage
In 1898, the Beach Hotel was discovered to have been flushing its cesspools via pipe into the Gulf of Mexico. The city health official regarded this practice as "absolutely disgusting and disgraceful" and refused to allow the hotel to open until it connected to the city's sewage system. In the interim before the hotel connected, it mysteriously burned down.[2]
